Egyptian man held in threat to city tunnels (Baltimore)(4 now detained)

Newsday ^ | 18 Oct 2005 | Matthew Dolan and Siobhan Gorman

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Portions of I-95 briefly shut down on concerns over suspected terrorist plot; Uncorroborated information said to come from source abroad

Federal authorities are detaining at least one man of Egyptian origin who worked at a Middle Eastern market in Baltimore in connection with a threat that closed Interstate 95 and the Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels after concern over a suspected terrorist plot to blow up one of the tunnels.

The shutdown caused gridlock throughout the metropolitan region as police and federal agents investigated the threat.

[nunya bidness]

So far it sounds like the owner of the Koko Market, Maged Hussein, is one of the four detained for questioning. You may know someone who lives close to that market by the way.

The plot appears to be that they were going to use a delivery truck loaded with explosives and detonate it in the Harbor Tunnel. One comment the governor said was that he and others were working to deal with, "people that can do great harm with primitive or low-tech means."

Sounds to me like it could have been ANFO (ammonium nitrate/fuel oil). Makes you wonder about the Oklahoma connection if there is any.

[Howlin]

Is that near Canton Square?

[nevergore]

They're easy to spot too!

[The_Media_never_lie]

Southern Baptists?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Lancaster, PA is only an hour's drive away.

Err, make that a day's ride away...

[nunya bidness]

It's just north of Canton.

[cripplecreek]

Better bring the draft horses just in case there are security barriers in place.

[Rte66]

If you blow up a truck in a busy tunnel, what does that do? Would it kill everyone in every car in the tunnel, or just the truck driver -- and maybe injure someone in the car in front and the car behind?

Maybe a traffic tie-up at the time, then detours for weeks while the tunnel is repaired, but what else?

I'm just wondering what the point would be.

[kinghorse]

Guilt in such crimes should be punishable by going away for 99 years. No room for equivocation dealing with bomb threats. the simply act of threatening is enough to shut down commerce.

[Howlin]

Freepmail.

[nunya bidness]

If you blow up a truck in a busy tunnel, what does that do? Would it kill everyone in every car in the tunnel, or just the truck driver -- and maybe injure someone in the car in front and the car behind?

The explosion would, at a minimum, disable the tunnel for days, maybe weeks, and possibly months.

I'm just wondering what the point would be.

I guess the point would be to create terror and try to get the US out of the Middle East. But in this case, it wouldn't cripple the interstate 95 corridor as there's another tunnel, a bridge, and a beltway system that could bypass the affected area.

[nevergore]

Ya' mean mine wasn't a real picture of an Amish terrorist "Buggy Bomb"?

[Sacajaweau]

I put a dot on Oklahoma also. One of the things that "made me wince" was the 2003 Atlas in the kid's car. At some pint in time, I remember Homeland Security putting out a notice that these terrorists may be carrying an atlas. I thought it strange EXCEPT buying them in bulk would put everyone on the same page. They must have found a couple that matched and/or someone called them because of a very unusual order.

That's why I think they left the car AND the Atlas (actually, probably a dupe) to see if anyone would approach the vehicle.

[spokeshave]

"If you blow up a truck in a busy tunnel, what does that do?"

The curvature of the walls will focus the blast (if they are not breached in which case flooding is a possibility).

[newzjunkey]

Let's hope they've got this entirely under control if it's the "real deal" and that there isn't more waiting to strike.

(LTGM: Love the freeper name!)

[RetiredArmy]

I'm sure it is all just an honest mistake and he was misunderstood when he made his threat. Just a simple mistake. Let him go home to his loving family now.

[Malacoda]

You just can't trust those dang Amish, and their Mennonite drivers.

[Ciexyz]

Maybe one of those pesty Presbyterians.